Yarn-feeding and yarn-changing device for knitting-machines.



J. D. HEMPHILL.

YARN FEEDING AND YARN CHANGING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APE.29, 1907. RENEWED MAR.16,1909.

984,969, I Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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J. D. HEMPHILL. YARN FEEDING AND YARN CHANGING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APB..29, 1907. RENEWED MAR. 16, 1909.

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YARN FEEDING AND YARN CHANGING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29, 1907. RENEWED MAR. 16, 1909.

Patented Sept. 21 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

M T/VESEEEL J. D. HEMPHILL.

YARN FEEDING AND YARN CHANGING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29, 1907. RENEWED MAR. 16, 1909. 934,969.

Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

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J. D. HEMPHILL.

YARN FEEDING AND YARN CHANGING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29, 1907. RENEWED MAR. 16, 1909.

934,969, Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

5 SHEETBSHEET 5.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

JOSHUA D. HEMPHILL, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND.

YARN-FEEDING AND YARN-CHANGING DEVICE FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 21,1909.

Original application filed March 26, 1906, Serial No. 38,103. Divi ded a-nd this application filed April 29, 1907, Serial No. 370,762. Renewed March 16, 1909. Serial No. 483,867. 3

-' application, Serial No. 355,236, Ihave specifically set forth certain novel devices'for controlling the sinkers so as to render them operative and inoperative.

My present inventionalso hasrelation to knitting-machines, and'more particularly to the novel automatic yarn-feeding and-yarnchanging devices well adapted to be employed in the machine described in my said parent. application.

By means of the present invention the knittingyarns are ,automatically selected and positioned with respect to the hooks of the needles so as to be introduced and knitted into the stocking at predetermined points, in its production; the device also embodying improved means forrendering the yarns in--.

dividually inactive, all as more fully hereinaitcr set forth and claimed.

In order to more clearly describe said invention and the manner ofitsconstruction and operation I have reproduced herewith portions of the drawings of the parent case. That is to say Figure l, in the accompanying five sheets of drawings, represents in general an end elevation, viewed from the right, of my improved lmitting-machine provided with the yarn-controlling means; the relative positionol the parts corresponding substantially to that at the completion of a stocking, wherein the machine is stopped, the work being omitted. F ig. 2 is a corresponding front elevation, in enlarged scale, some of the minor parts being unrepresented. Fig.

3 is a vertical central sectional View. stillfurther enlarged, taken on line 3, 3, of Fig.

- ring is in the norma 1. Fig. 4 is a .plan view, corresponding with Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a partial plan view of..the stationary cap-ring, showing the relation of the sinker-cam, &c., when the latch: ring and the yarn-guides carried by it (not shown) are in the normal operative posi- 1 tion. Figs. 6 and 7 are transverse sectional views, taken respectively on line 6, 6, and

.7, 7, of Fig- 5. Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the position of the cam and its sinker-s when the cam is advanced to the inoperative or concentric position. Fig. 9 is an end view, in reduced scale, showing por tions of the yarn-changing device, and F 1g. 10 1s a sectional view taken on the lrregular line l0, 10, of Fig. 4, showing the yarnguides, latch-opening device, 620.

. The following is a description of my improved yarn-feeding and yarn-changing de vices and the manner of operation: The

manually controlled swinging latch-ring member C is substantially, annular and ,is provided with a pair of integral parallel lateral arms cl united at the outer ends by a short'tie (Z (Fig. 3f, thejlatterwhen the or dropped position resting on the upper end of and being supported by the hollow standard K, later described the'said arms extend centrally of the machine and parallel with the driving-shaft. The yarn-guides proper, d (three being represented in the drawings) are pivoted at d in the upper outer portion of said arms (i The inner or free end of each member al has-an eye (i through which the knittin yarn is threaded, its opposite or heel en being in continuous yielding contact with a spring, d, secured to and bodily movable with the latch-ring. Upon swinging the latter npwardlyfrom the needle-cylinder the spring-pressed yarn-guides drop until arrested by the throat-tie as or other suitablestop. See'also working positlon of the guide shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3'.

The latch-ring is pivoted at c to a stand-f ard 0 (Figs. 1 and 4) vlocated atthe rear of the needle-cylinder the said axes c and d? (the latterbeing that of the yarn-guides) are disposed in horizontal planes and at.

right angles to each other. To the latchring is also secured .a substantially flat light arm the'same extending over the center of the cylinder and terminating in the guard "members 0 and 0* and formin between zontal spring-plate 0 having its free end extending under .'the member of and nearly to said lip so as to form a smooth narrow I the yarns severed fromthe last knitted yarn passage 0 between them, the entrance to which is wide and flaring. It may be added that said passage is in continuous open communication with the central opening 0. A spring-clip 0 is secured to the arm c for temporarily holding the ends of stocking and before they are reintroduced to the needles.

elevated or thrown out of 'normalaction, the corresponding yarns are automatically guided by the arm or guard c and the passage 0 into the large central space a". where they float as it istermed, and revolve with the web, the lipped passage meanwhile preventing them from escaping or being drawn therefrom. The formation of the said mouth C of the opening or passage in which the yarn-guides d of the latchring are located (see also, Fig. 10)- is adapted to insure the dropping of the latches of the revolvingneedles before they pass the stitch-forming point. Thatis the lateral sides 7' of the lower portion of said opening have abeveled ordovetailed form, and-also being rearwardly inclined, as indicated by dotted lines j b As thus devised the face of the needles, while the cylinder is revolving in either direction, pass comparatively close to the face or edge of the opening 0 so that any partly open latches-upon striking the beveled edge j will be positively deflected downwardly to the normally Wide open po' sition before the hooks of the needles willhave reached the yarn-receiving point.

' In the lower portion of the casing a'is mounted a shaft 8 termed the cam-shaft; the same carrying cams, wheels, the patternchain B, &c., all being constructed, positioned, and timed in any suitable or wellknown manner, whereby power transmitted by the driving-belt 3) through intervening' "mechanisms to said cams, chain, &c., oper ates to automatically rotate the shaft in an intermittent orstep-by-step manner, and in one direction only.

To the cam-shaft 8 (see Figs. 2 and 9) By means of this device, 'whenever the threaded yarn-guides are is secured a cylinder f'having a plurality of connected with downwardly extending wire links f, each jointed to the rear end or the respective tilting-lever f pivoted at f*, and having its front end in sliding contact wltli 'the corresponding rib or with the cylmders surface. The yarn-guides when 111 normal action are adapted to rest upon the throattie at .of the latch-ring.

The function of the last-described mechanism is such that when the levers f bear uponth'e cam-ribs the yarn-guides are correspondingly swung upwardly, thus throwing the yarns out of knitting action, the yarns then floating in the central opening 0. The latch-ring may be proxdded with an auxiliary yarn-guide d and with a depending-member or dog 'w the latter being located so asto engage with and retract the spring-pressed sinker-cam w to the normal knitting position when the latch-ring is dropped.

The normal knitting action of the machine follows the shiftin of the driving belt onto the pulleyp, there y rotating the knitting cylinder and its needles a and sinkers 0, the needles being vertically actuated by'suitable cams mounted in cam-block l), the sinkers at the same time being successively retracted by said cam 40 so asto permit the yarn to freely enter the then open books of the needles, the yarn being next converted into loops or stitches and knitted into courses and cast from the upper end of the then latchclosed needles into the fabric as usual. Upon completion of the knitting the yarns are automatically elevated out of action, the

work drops from. the needles and the machine stops. The operator now raises the latchring and at the same time severs the yarns from the work and secures the ends under the clip 0 I claim as my invention I I 1. In an automatic stocking knitting-machine, the combination with a needle and sinker-carry-in cylinder, driving mechanism for revolving the same, amanually controlled non-revoluble swinging latch-ring and a self-dropping yarn-guide pivotally mounted in and bodily movable with said ring member, of a mechanically revoluble cam located below said driving mechanism, and a 'pair of suitably mounted and connected pivoted levers disposed between and being in normal frictional contact with said yarn-guide and cam members respectively, constructed and arranged so that the guide is adapted to place the yarn into and out of lmitting action while the latch-ring is lying in the normal or dropped position.

2'. In a knitting-machine of the character forming a support for the latch-ring, sub-' stantially as described.

3. In a knitting-machine of the character described, the combination with a revoluble knitting-cylinder and a non-revoluble latchring, of a self-dropping yarn-guide, a swinging finger f having its free end adapted to support said guide, a mechanically revoluble cam, a pivotally mounted lever having its free end in engagement with said cam, and a link uniting said finger and lever members. 4. In a knltting-machine of the character described, the combination of a manually movable latch-ring, a plurality of springpressed yarn-guides pivotally mounted therein, a series of suitably arranged interrupted cams or ribs f means for rotating the latter in unison at predetermined intervals, a corresponding series of swinging levers f in normalcontinuous engagement with said cams, and tilting members f connected with and actuated by said levers f, constructed and adapted so that when the latch-ring is dropped into its normal stationary position the movements of said levers cooperate with said yarn-guides to change their positions, for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

5. In a knitting-machine of the character described, the combination with suitably mounted swinging yarn-guides, of a revoluble member having a plurality of concentric peripheral cam-flanges or ribs f each being cut transversely to produce suitably disposed openings or gaps, levers f located in the path of the flanges and being in normal frictional engagement therewith, means connected with and actuated by said members f for supporting the yarn-guides and placing them in the operative and inoperative positions, and springs in continuous engagement with the guides for insuring a yielding contact of. the levers with the flanges.

(3, In a knitting-machine of the character described, the combinationwith a revoluble knitting-cylinder, needles and sinkers movable therein and revoluble bodily therewith,

and mechanically positioned yarn-guides, of

a swinging latch-ring carrying said guides, bent arm members, 0 and 0 the latter terminating in a point below member 0 so as to form a contracted yarn passage between them, the said arm members also forming a central opening a in continuous open conimunication with said contracted passage,

substantially as described and for the purpose set forth. Y

7. In a knitting-machine of the character described, the combination with a swinging latch-ring and mechanically positioned yarnguides pivoted to an extension thereoffof a bent downwardly extending guide-arm secured to the latch-ring having' a lip on its under side, a plate secured to the lower portion ofsaid guide-arm to form a float-opening, the free end of said plate being narrowed and extending nearly to said lip thereby forming-a contracted passage 0 therebetween for guiding the inactive yarns to and I past said passage into the float-opening.

8. In a knitting-machine of the character described, the combination with the swinging or hinged latch-ring and yarn-guides pivoted thereto, ofa member secured to the ring having anupwardly bent arm 0 and also having a substantially horizontal arm 0 arranged to form with said member 0 a central' opening 0, a protected passage for guiding the inactive yarns therethrough into said opening and preventing their, escape therefrom, means for securing the free ends of the yarns after'bemg severed from the work, and having the "inner "face of the latch-ring oppositely beveled at a point adjacent the free ends of the yarn-guides to insure the opening of the latches of the traveling needles, substantially as described.

9. In a knitting-machine of the character described, the combination with the hinged latch-ring provided with a lateral extension, and self-dropping yarn-guides pivoted therein, of a stationary stand K for supporting the ring when dropped to its normal' or working position, and mechanically controlled tilting. levers f mounted in said stand and supporting the yarn-guides in the elevated or HOD-:aClZIVB position.

I 10. In a knitting-machine of the character described, the combination with a revoluble knitting-cylinder and latch-needles and sinkers movablymounted therein, of a latchring having a lateral opening or throat, and having; the walls at the mouth of said opening beveled upwardly in a converging manner so that when in use theyare engaged or are adapted to be engaged by the partly closed latches of the traveling needles while passing said opening to automaticall deflect them downwardly before the knitting or stitch-forming action takes place.

11. In a knitting-machine of the character described, the combination with a revoluble knitting-cylinder, latch-needles and sinkers movably mounted therein and bodily revoluble therewith, of a latch-ring, self-dropping mechanically elevated yarn-guides hingedto the latter, an opening formed in said ring having the yarn-guides arranged therein, and having the lateral sides or yarn leading from the then depressed yarnedges j of the mouth of the openingextendguide. I ing upwardly from the bottom in a. con- Signed at Providence, R. I., this 25th day verging or dove-tail form, whereby any of- April, 1907. Y 5 partly closed latches of the traveling needles JOSHUA D. HEMPHILL.

upon contacting with said beveled edges are Witnesses: deflected downwardly to the full-open posiv GEO. H. REMINGTON, tion before the needles receive the knitting- CALVIN H. BROWN. 

